Liga Privada T52 Flying Pig by Drew Estate

Hey, what can I say - I'm a sucker for a short fat cigar - and not just a short fat cigar, but one that is so beautifully constructed and well executed that happens to have a fun name, Flying Pig.  Several months ago I along with a bunch of friends had purchased tickets to the Drew Estate Barn Smoker in Hopkinsville, KY.  Sadly, COVID had other plans meaning that Drew Estate cancelled all in person events for 2020, but seeing as all my friends had already blocked out the day, I suggested we have our own Barn Smoker at my house in Tennessee.  Plans quickly came together and in lieu of a Barn Smoker, we held a Yard Smoker.

My wife grows grapes in the backyard turning them into wine, and pulled pork along with homemade BBQ sauce as well as home grown, homemade hot sauce we had bottled seemed the perfect compliment, and so it was the plan came together, and I, along with 34 of my closest friends came from far and wide, and together we enjoyed good food, drank great wine and other spirits, and smoked some phenomenal cigars.

Seeing as Drew Estate served as the catalyst for the day, I supplied a freshly acquired box of Tabac's along with NUB Habano 4x60 that I had purchased at a very fair price.  As good as those were, and they were good, that day Liga Privada seemed to be the prevailing school of thought as several who showed up brining cigars of their own all brought Liga Privadas, most of which where of the No 9 variety.

And so it was, we ate, we drank, and we smoked great cigars while enjoying the company and the conversation.  As the daylight turned from dusk to dark, the pour on the drink became a bit more generous, the conversation a bit more off the cuff and colorful, and the enjoyment of the cigars much more intense.  By nightfall, the lightweights had headed home, leaving only the true dyed in the wool cigar purists, and with that, conversation shifted to the nuance of cigars, and how different brands and styles differed from each other.

My one friend, having smoked everything he had brought, was offered a Liga Privada No 9 by another friend of mine, hesitatant at first to accept knowing the costs, he relented, meaning everyone was smoking a Liga Privada at the same time.  Knowing I had the Flying Pig in my humidor, I headed inside to retrieve it commenting that I had been saving the cigar for a special occasions, and that a special occasion had broken out warranting its enjoyment.

I gently cut the pigtail off the cap, needing to do a second cut to get a good surface to draw upon.  I gently toasted the foot, taking care to not burn the wrapper or char it in any way.  Getting a good light I drew upon it noting the inital strength needed to draw that first whisp of smoke through the cigar.  The immediate boldness and strength of the cigar revealed itself, along with a very defined currant flavor that offered perceieved uniquely sweet quality to a cigar that is not sweet.

The strength of the cigar settled into a consistent level that did not wane, but alternatively did not overpower the stick.  Balance of the blend was on full display, and although the inherent strength of the cigar meant puffs were staged 45-50 seconds between each, each puff offered a full palate of flavor that I enjoyed both by itself, but finding myself hungry I paired back up with the previously discussed food that had been prepared for the event.

If you are like me, when a good cigar presents itself, there is a certain anxious tension that develops that looks for opporutinities to smoke the same again.  The Flying Pig was that sort of cigar, and although several months have passed since the Yard Smoker, the memory of that cigar has not faded in my memory, and when the invitation to visit a friend from Knoxville presented itself this past weekend, knowing his love of cigars was on par with mine, I knew the only appropriate cigar would be the Flying Pig.

The picture shown here is from this past weekend, and although the food was different, the drinks different, and the atmostphere different, two things stood strong - good friends, and good cigars - make for a great afternoon of conversation and cigars.  My big takeaway comment from the weekend was simply this, I had forgotten how strong the cigar was, but the enjoyment was there, the flavor was there, and, perhaps most importantly, the outlook to that next memory making event is already on my radar.  Whether or not the Flying Pig will come along in the next endeavor, only time knows, but what is known is simply this.  Whenever friends collide with convesation and cigars, only good things can emerge.

And for that, I am extremely excited and full of anticipation.

Until we smoke again...